Drafting apparatus of textile spinning and analogous machines



J. B. ARUNDALE ET AL 2,597,278 DRAFTING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINES 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 May 20, 1952 Filed April 27, 1950 J. B. ARUNDALE ET AL DRAFTING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE SPINNING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINES May 20, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed April 27, 1950 Patented May 20, 1952 DRAFTING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE SPIN NING AND ANALOGOUS MACHINES John Barker Arundale, Accrington, Lancashire,

and James Jackson Haythornthwaite, Huncoat,

Lancasln're, England, assignors of one-third to Howard and Bullough Limited, Accrington,

England Application April 27, 1950, Serial No. 158,518 In Great Britain May 4, 1949 9 Claims.

This invention is directed to the adjustment. of the relative spacing of the rollers of the drafting apparatus of a textile spinning or analogous machine and its object is to provide means by which such adjustment can be eifected conveniently when required by a change in the staple length of the fibrous material under treatment in the machine.

According to the invention drafting apparatus of a textile spinning or analogous machine has the drafting rollers which require adjustment of their relative spacing mounted in sets of bearing blocks slidably carried upon guides extending across the roller stand, each such bearing block having a female screw thread adapted to co-operate with an individual lead-screw supported parallel to the guides and capable of rotation to traverse the bearing block to the requisite position.

According to a further feature of the invention the bearing blocks for the front roller are fixed in relation to the stand and serve as supports for the lead-screws.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference will be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way ofexample a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view of drafting apparatus provided with means for the adjustment of the relative spacing of the drafting. rollers.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of an alternative arrangement of drafting apparatus of which the roller stand is nearly vertical.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow X.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view of an arrangement showing means for imparting a common drive to the lead-screws, and indicating means for denoting the setting of the bearing blocks.

In Fig. 1 the invention is shown applied to the drafting apparatus of a ring spinning machine of conventional form, in which the roller stand I is inclined rearwardly at an angle which is not substantially greater than 45 to the horizontal. The roller stand I is provided with an upstanding part 2 which acts as a bearing block for the front roller 3. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated four lines of drafting rollers 3, 4, 5 and 6 are provided, and these are supported respectively in sets of bearing blocks 2, 1, B and 9. The bearing blocks 1 and 9 of one set are slidably mounted in a guide incor- 2 porated in the base II] of the roller stand, whilst the bearing block 8 is slidably mounted on the bearing block I which is formed with an extended base incorporating a guide II for receiving the block 8.

The relative spacing of the bearing blocks I,

8 and 9 is adjustably controlled by means of lead-screws I2, I3 and I4. These lead-screws are rotatably mounted in the upstanding part 2 of the roller stand but are prevented from axial movement in relation thereto.

The bearing blocks I, 8 and 9 are each provided with an internal thread with which each lead-screw co-operates, and as can be clearly seen in Fig. 1 the lead-screw I2 engages with the bearing block I, the lead-screw I3 with the bearing block 8 and the lead-screw I4 with the bearing 9. The block I is provided with clearance holes for the lead-screws I3 and I 4 and a clearance hole for the lead-screw I 4 is also provided in the block 8. The lead-screws are each provided with heads fashioned to receive a spanner, key, screw-driver or other tool by which they may be rotated individually for the purpose of adjustment. It may also be desirable to prevent unauthorised alteration of the roller spacings by shrouding the ends of the lead-screws by means of a removable plate (not shown), or by arranging that they can only be adjusted by means of a key of unusual form which would not normally be accessible to persons not authorised to change the roller spacmgs.

Whilst the lead screws have been shown one above the other with the longest at the bottom and the shortest at the top the relative position of the lead-screws is not important and their order could conveniently be reversed. Moreover, instead of being arranged one above the other they could equally well be arranged side by side in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the alternative arrangement of drafting apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the roller-stand is nearly vertical or inclined at an angle substantially exceeding 45 from the horizontal. In this arrangement it makes for greater accessibility of the lead-screws, when adjustment of the roller spacing is required, to arrange the lead-screws so that they project through fixed abutments above the back or feed rollers. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 the stand I5 is provided with nearly vertical guides I6 upon which each set of roller bearing fiblocks I1 and I8 are adapted to. slide. Thelower or front roller is supported in a projecting por ltion I9 of the stand I 5.

The adjustment of the relative spacing of the roller bearing blocks l1 and I8 is respectively effected by lead-screws 20 and 2! arranged side by side and rotatably mounted in a fixed abutment 22 above the back or feed rollers. The leadscrews are prevented from axial movement in relation to the roller stand 15 and engage with threads in the blocks l1 and I8 to adjust the spacing of each block when the corresponding leadscrew is rotated. The bearing block H is provided with a clearance hole for the lead-screw 2| and the adjustment of the blocks is effecmd in a manner similar to that described with reference to Fig. 1.

After a convenient relative spacing of the bearing blocks [1 and i8 has been effected, the said blocks may be clamped to the stand l by means of the clampin screws 23 and 24 which engage with nuts 25 and 23 on the inside of each guide I6. An indication of the setting of a block with reference to a datum position may be denoted by the relative position with reference to a fixed indicator 21', of a graduated collar 28 upon the leadscrew pertaining thereto.

In Fig. 4 mechanism is shown for adjusting all the bearing blocks relating to one roller simultaneously. In the drawing two pairs of lead-screws are shown, the lead-screws comprising one pair being designated 29 and 38 and those comprising the other pair being designated 35 and 32. All four lead-screws are rotatably mounted in upstanding abutments 33 and 34 fixed to the roller stand (not shown).

Each lead-screw extends beyond the abutments 33 and 34 and engages with co-operating bearing blocks (not shown) adapted to support between them a roller or part thereof. The lead-screws 29 and 30 which co-operate with the bearing blocks of one roller are respectively provided with worm wheels 25 and 33 which engage with a worm 3'1 adapted to be rotated by a crank 38 through gearing 39. Similarly the lead-screws 3| and 32 which engage with the bearing blocks of another roller are respectively provided with worm wheels 40 and 4| which engage with a worm 42 adapted to be rotated by a crank 43 through gearing 44. The cranks 38 and 43 are provided with pointers 5 and 46 which co-operate with graduated discs 6'! and 43 to indicate the setting of the corresponding bearing blocks.

In operation when the crank 38 is rotated the worm 3! rotates the lead-screws 29 and 30 simultaneously, and effects an adjustment of the corresponding pair of bearing blocks. The crank 43 serves to rotate the lead screws SI and 32 in a similar way.

The adjusting principle of Fig. 4 may be applied equally to a structure like that-of Fig. l or a structure like that of Figs. 2 and 3.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In drafting apparatus of a textile spinning or analogous machine, having drafting rollers which require adjustment of their relative spacing mounted in sets of bearing blocks slidably carried upon guides that extend lengthwise of a roller stand, the combination with a plurality of adjustable bearing blocks of individual lead screws each threaded into a single one of the blocks only for adjusting that block relative to the others, and a common stationary support in which all the screws are secured with capacity for rotary but not axial movement, each bearing block other than the one most remote from said common stationary support being formed to provide clearance for the adjusting screw of each block more remote than itself from the stationary support.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lead-screws co-operating with the set of blocks referred to are arranged one above the other.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lead-screws co-operating with the set of blocks referred to are arranged side by side.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein indicating means is associated with each leadscrew to denote the setting of the corresponding bearing block with reference to a datum position.

5. A structure as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the lead screws referred to is operable independently of the others to adjust the bearing block individually controlled by it independently of the other bearing blocks referred to.

6. A structure as claimed in claim 1 in which each roller is carried in a plurality of bearing locks, each controlled by its individual lead screw, and in which a separate common operating means is provided for the lead screws that effect the adjustment of each roller.

7. A structure as claimed in claim 1 in which each roller is carried in a plurality of bearing blocks, each controlled by its individual lead screw, and in which a separate common operating means is provided for the lead screws that effect the adjustment of each roller, and in which indicating means is provided in association with each common operating means to denote the setting of the respective rollers with reference to a datum setting.

8. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the common stationary support for all the lead screws constitutes a bearing block for supporting a non-adjustable roller.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which provision is further made of a non-adjustable roller and a stationary bearing support therefor, and in which the common stationary support for the lead screws is located at the opposite side of the adjustable bearing blocks from said non-adjustable roller.

JOHN BARKER ARUNDALE. JAMES JACKSON HAYTHORNTHWAITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 125,661 Carroll Apr. 16, 1872 304,296 Congdon Sept. 2, 1884 840,779 Libby Jan. 8, 1907 888,102 Libby May 19, 1908 

